Hayward Field's Farewell

This weekend's NCAA Championships mark the final track meet at the University of Oregon's iconic Hayward Field...at least in its current form.  Hayward Field isn't going anywhere, but it'll be closed for the better part of the next two years while it's gutted and rebuilt.  When it reopens, it'll be a state-of-the-art 35,000-set modern stadium, which doesn't sit well with a lot of people.

Hayward Field is on my bucket list, and it's iconic for a lot of reasons.  It opened in 1921 and is the marquee track & field venue in the United States.  It's the site of the the annual Prefontaine Classic, the only U.S. stop on the Diamond League circuit, and has hosted the last three Olympic Trials, as well as becoming the regular venue for the NCAA Championships. 

Eugene calls itself "Tracktown USA" and doesn't get an argument from anybody about that claim.  So, when the IAAF made it known they wanted the World Championships to come to the U.S. for the first time, there was only one place that made sense.  Hayward got a trial run with the 2014 World Junior Championships and passed with flying colors.  Less than a year later, Hayward was awarded the 2021 World Championships without a vote (causing some controversy).

However, in order to host the World Championships, Hayward needs to be expanded.  The current capacity is around 10,000, while the minimum size requirement for Worlds is 30,000.  Even with temporary seating (which they do for Olympic Trials), there's no way to get Hayward Field up to IAAF standards in its current form.  Thus, a renovation is needed.

Initially, the renovations were only going to take place during the offseason so as not to disrupt Hayward's regular events (which also includes the Oregon High School Championships).  But, construction delays have resulted in the project being pushed back to the point that the facility has to be shut down entirely in order to be finished on time.

Part of the reason for these delays is the community's negative reaction to the design.  Some object to the whole idea in general, and there have been a number of lawsuits designed to preserve the current Hayward Field. 

The university has tried to be sensitive to these concerns, but they're running out of time.  It's only three years until the World Championships, and the renovations need to get done.  Because if they don't, Oregon can't host Worlds.  It's that simple.

A lot of the uproar is because the plan calls for the complete replacement of the East grandstand, which is nearly as old as the stadium instelf.  People even went to the Eugene City Council trying to get landmark status for the grandstands, but the petition was denied.  Here's the thing, though.  If those grandstands were salvageable, they'd salvage them.  But they're 100 years old and made of wood.  They need to be replaced.

There are also plans for a nine-story tower at one end of the stadium.  Phil Knight (who's putting up most of the money for the renovations) wanted to name it after Bill Bowerman, the famed Oregon track coach whose waffle-iron design led Knight to create Nike.  But count Bowerman's family among those who object to the new Hayward Field.  They don't want their father's name on the tower.  So it won't be.  Steve Prefontaine's family is also against the design.

I think a lot of these objections are because people are worried Hayward Field will lose some of its ambiance and won't feel as intimate, which I get.  There are also those who've suggested that the facility will no longer yield fast times because it's bowl-shaped and the wind will swirl (the current Hayward is open on either end), which is ridiculous.  That's not something that should factor into the decision at all.

Let's remember this, though.  Hayward Field isn't going to lose its status as the premier track & field venue in the United States.  In fact, just the opposite.  The facility will become world class in every way, including some amenities that it doesn't currently have.  Hayward Field has served the people of Oregon, and track & field in the United States, well for a long time.  And once the renovations are completed, it will continue to do just that well into the future.

None of this is that out of the ordinary.  Anytime a new facility is built to replace an outdated on, there are complaints and lawsuits and hard feelings.  Then the new one opens.  Does it make people forget the old one?  Of course not!  But the new one will produce plenty of its own memorable moments.  And in the case of the new Hayward Field, some of those memorable moments are bound to come at the 2021 Worlds.

So, the options are either the current Hayward Field and no World Championships or the World Championships at the new Hayward Field.  Is that even really a choice?

What the new Hayward Field will look like when it opens in 2020.